The National WWII Museum is currently seeking a Vice President of Institutional Advancement. Reporting to the President & CEO, this role serves as a key member of the Museum’s leadership team and is expected to build and sustain strong and sincere interpersonal relationships both internally and externally, demonstrate a track record of major and principal gift fundraising success, and possesses the leadership and managerial experience necessary to direct, inspire, and motivate an experienced advancement team. The Vice President will be a seasoned advancement professional with experience in capital campaign fundraising as well as strategic and administrative leadership and will embrace the unique, compelling mission of the institution.

Founded in 2000 as The National D-Day Museum, The National WWII Museum is an unforgettable way to experience World War II—from industrial efforts on the Home Front to the combat experience of the American service member abroad. TripAdvisor’s #1 New Orleans attraction, #3 museum in the United States, and #8 museum in the world, The National WWII Museum offers a compelling blend of sweeping narrative and poignant personal detail, featuring immersive exhibits, multimedia experiences, and an expansive collection of artifacts and first-person oral histories that take visitors inside the story of the war—why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today. Beyond its exhibits and galleries, the Museum offers unique access to experiential history, including the opportunity to tour and even ride on an authentically restored WWII patrol-torpedo boat, take an intimate look behind the scenes to handle artifacts alongside Museum curators, and discover firsthand an impressive collection of restored and working macro-artifacts. Additionally, online collections, distance-learning programs, travel programs, and the renowned International Conference on World War II offer patrons and students of all ages new ways to connect to history and honor the generation that sacrificed so much to secure our freedom.

Designated by Congress in 2004 as the official WWII museum of the United States, The National WWII Museum is located in downtown New Orleans on a six-acre campus, where five soaring pavilions house historical exhibits, retail outlets, restaurants, a performance theater modeled on entertainment venues for WWII service members, the 4D experience Beyond All Boundaries (narrated by Tom Hanks), and the interactive Final Mission: USS Tang Submarine Experience. A hotel and conference center will debut in October 2019, and a capital expansion program funding the construction of two additional pavilions in coming years will cement the institution as a state-of-the-art educational facility and a premier destination for travelers from around the world.

The campus has been made possible by a $400 million capital expansion plan – The Road to Victory Capital Campaign. The project funds bricks and mortar, exhibit design and fabrication, endowment, and digitization of collections. Since the kick-off in 2004, $356 million has been raised, and the conclusion of the campaign is scheduled for 2020.

Through these efforts, the Museum has developed into a world-class institution with:

An operating budget of approximately $55 million;

A governing 60-member national Board of Trustees;

Nearly 157,000 Museum members – one of the largest museum membership bases in the country;

An annual visitation of over 700,000;

Over 6 million total visitors since opening in 2000.

The Department of Institutional Advancement

The Department of Institutional Advancement includes a staff of 30 full-time team members working in the offices of Advancement, Corporate Alliances, Membership, and Fundraising Events.

Annually, the Museum secures $25 million in philanthropic support for the capital campaign as well as approximately $15 million from Membership, events, grants, and corporate gifts that support the Museum’s operations and educational programs. The Museum also engages 157,000 members and donors in a myriad of social, volunteer, and service activities. The total operating budget for the Department of Institutional Advancement is approximately $9.5 million.

Key Areas of Focus

Providing inspiration, vision, and leadership for completion of The Road to Victory Capital Campaign and helping develop future fundraising plans focused on the endowment, educational programming, and diversifying individual giving programs. The Vice President will provide strategic leadership and direction around completion of the campaign as well as post-campaign analytics, reporting, and follow-up. Concurrently, the VP will need to be forward-looking and begin developing a plan for future support. A focus on major gift fundraising and planned giving initiatives to grow the endowment will be necessary to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Museum’s campus, education and research initiatives, and distance learning and digital access programs.

Strengthening and supporting the advancement team. The Vice President will be both a strong manager and a collaborator, who will provide creative and decisive leadership while also empowering the dedicated and talented staff. Strengthening existing systems and processes relative to the donor database, stewardship, and reporting should be a focus as well as fostering strategic collaboration within and across all departments. The VP will inspire, mentor, connect, and provide the vision for a collaborative and collegial team. To be most successful, the VP will work to develop a diverse team, whose members share a clear vision, are able to take risks, and work to fulfill measurable goals.

Partnership with President & CEO, senior leadership, and Board of Trustees. The Vice President will serve as the primary thought partner for the President & CEO on matters of advancement and membership. The VP will be a dynamic, strategic partner to the President, Board, and other senior staff members, providing active leadership and guidance as they collectively work with prospects and on fundraising and membership programs on behalf of the Museum. The VP must have the ability to maintain ongoing channels of communication between all groups to work in an organized and cohesive fashion.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Establish and execute an integrated and comprehensive advancement strategy that will meet the capital, operating, and educational needs of the Museum for the present and future.

Participate as a member of the President’s senior management team and assist in the Museum’s operational and strategic planning activities using professional judgment that will be accepted as technically sound and authoritative.

Develop meeting agendas and reports for the Capital Campaign Committee and Development Committee as well as related materials for Board of Trustees meetings.

Work closely with the Capital Campaign Chair, the Capital Campaign Committee, other Board members, and key volunteers to provide support and leadership for meeting the goals of the current campaign.

Provide staff support for the President & CEO to assist him in executing his fundraising responsibilities in the Museum’s advancement efforts.

Direct prospect identification, research, and evaluation efforts to support Institutional Advancement and other museum needs such as prospective board nominees, artifact donors, etc.

Provide oversight and leadership to the Museum’s membership and individual giving programs to ensure that they meet short- and long-term goals.

Lead the development of the Museum’s fundraising events, with a focus on establishing the American Spirit Awards as a premier national showcase for the Museum’s educational mission.

Coordinate and direct all Institutional Advancement staff activities in order to facilitate the research and development of individual, government, foundation, and corporate gift proposals.

Coordinate the creation of the department’s promotional materials and communications within the guidelines of the marketing department and in conjunction with the Museum’s overall marketing program and image branding initiatives.

Direct the management and oversight of the formation and maintenance of advancement reports and resources; prepare and manage Institutional Advancement’s financial budget and reports; monitor budget and control expenditures; ensure revenue goals are reached; and direct the management of the donor database.

Represent the Museum at meetings of civic, funding, government, professional, and community groups and organizations.

Attend selected professional seminars and conferences to ensure personal professional growth and to monitor the industry trends.

Qualifications, Knowledge, and Skills Required

The ideal candidate will be detail-oriented and a clear and transparent leader who possesses the following qualifications:

Fifteen years or more of fundraising experience with a minimum of ten years of capital campaign and major gift experience;

Demonstrated record of leadership and management of an integrated advancement team with a capital campaign in excess of $100 million, preferably with a national scope;

A successful track record in soliciting six- and seven-figure gifts from individuals, foundations, and corporations;

Mastery of the principles, practices, and techniques of oral and written communications and interpersonal relation skills to function as a technical authority on the Museum.

Ability to work independently and as a team member, and experience in motivating staff, colleagues, Board members, volunteers and prospects;

Management experience with the skills, training, and competence to serve as a mentor to staff and colleagues;

Interpersonal skills to work effectively with the President & CEO and Board of Trustees, senior managers, program staff, community leaders, donors, and volunteers;

Intellectual depth, moral integrity, and energy;

Ability to make decisions in a dynamic fast-paced setting and to understand and match the needs and objectives of prospective donors with the fundraising goals of the Museum.

Flexibility and willingness to travel on the Museum’s behalf as required.

The National WWII Museum is an Equal Opportunity Employer and seeks diversity in its workforce. We are dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis including age, sex, race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability. Consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act, applicants may request accommodations needed to participate in the application process.

The National WWII Museum tells the story of the American experience in the war that changed the world - why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today - so that all generations will understand the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn.